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Anthony Kazmierczak, the 55-year-old Minneapolis man who sprayed Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) with apple cider vinegar during a town hall this past January, has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. He will change his plea to guilty.
Kazmierczak is expected to formally enter the guilty plea at a hearing scheduled for May 7 in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. He had initially pleaded not guilty in March to federal charges of forcibly assaulting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with a member of Congress while she was performing her official duties. The incident drew widespread outrage across political aisles. Kazmierczak stormed the podium and sprayed Omar with a foul-smelling liquid from a syringe. Initial reports suggested that the substance triggered vomiting in at least one person—Minneapolis Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw—who was hit by the splash-back. Omar, though, for her part, vowed to battle on, suggesting she had the intestinal fortitude to fight back after having "survived war." “I’ve survived war, and I’m definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think they can throw at me because I’m built that way," she thumped her chest. READ MORE: Who Attacked Ilhan Omar? What We Know So Far The Liquid Sprayed on Ilhan Omar Has Been Identified Incidentally, "whatever these people think they can throw at me" turned out to be, as mentioned above, and confirmed by Hazmat teams, apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar — yes, the same stuff sitting in your pantry for salad dressings and occasional window cleaning. Omar took the fire and bravely refused medical treatment following the incident. President Trump went against the grain when commenting on the attack to ABC News, saying, "I don't think about her. I think she's a fraud. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-4) would later split with Trump on that assertion. “I don’t have any evidence to believe that’s true. Look, we deal with member security issues that arise. I called her, as I do any member who has a situation like that,” he said to reporters. Kazmierczak’s change of plea hearing is now set for May 7 after his attorney said in a court filing that the defense and federal prosecutors “reached a settlement." Despite the federal charges and months in custody, the plea deal raises questions about what kind of sentence the ‘assailant’ will actually face. His attorney has thus far declined to provide details of that agreement. Kazmierczak is also facing one felony count of threats of violence and misdemeanor fifth-degree assault in state court. |
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